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"The Presidential debates -- the single most important electoral event in the process of selecting a President -- should provide voters with an opportunity to see the popular candidates discussing important issues in an unscripted manner. But the Presidential debates fail to do so, because the major party candidates secretly control them.

Presidential debates were run by the civic-minded and non-partisan League of Women Voters until 1988, when the national Republican and Democratic parties seized control of the debates by establishing the bi-partisan, corporate-sponsored Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). Posing as a nonpartisan institution committed to voter education, the CPD has continually and deceptively run the debates in the interest of the national Republican and Democratic parties, not the American people. The CPD, co-chaired by the former heads of the Republican and Democratic parties, secretly submits to the demands of the Republican and Democratic candidates. Accordingly, the CPD insulates the major party candidates from challenging questions, difficult issues, and popular third party and independent candidates. As a result, under the CPD's control, the debates have been reduced to "glorified bi-partisan news conferences," where the major party candidates merely recite prepackaged soundbites and avoid discussing many important issues.

Under CPD sponsorship, the major party candidates never pay a political price for their antidemocratic practices. Were the major party candidates to openly host their own debates, employ their own stilted formats and exclude all third-party challengers, they would be held accountable by voters on Election Day. The CPD, however, publicly assumes responsibility for the presidential debates, shielding the major party candidates from public criticism. The CPD exists to decieve American voters in order to protect the major party candidates, and that deception unacceptably harms our democracy. Open Debates wants a transparent debate process that forces the candidates to be held accountable for their decisions."-Open Debates: A wealth of information on the subject and activism related to it.

I implore everyone who is able to either send an email/question or, and this is preferable, to attempt to call in tommorow. Exposing the Presidential Debate system that exists right now for the undemocratic farce that it is is crucial to the presentation and acceptance of other(and I think all of us can agree, better) viewpoints to the American people.

--------------------?When Alexander the Great visted the philosopher Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for him, Diogenes is said to have replied: 'Yes, stand a little less between me and the sun.' It is what every citizen is entitled to ask of his government.?
-Henry Hazlitt in 'Economics in One Lesson'

Quote:fastfred said:Who is going to debate? Will Nader or Badnarik be there?

I think it's incredibly stupid to exclude them from the dabates.

-FF

It's beyond incredibly stupid. The two major parties are systemically subverting democracy in this country. Demagoguery at it's worst.

--------------------?When Alexander the Great visted the philosopher Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for him, Diogenes is said to have replied: 'Yes, stand a little less between me and the sun.' It is what every citizen is entitled to ask of his government.?
-Henry Hazlitt in 'Economics in One Lesson'

--------------------?When Alexander the Great visted the philosopher Diogenes and asked whether he could do anything for him, Diogenes is said to have replied: 'Yes, stand a little less between me and the sun.' It is what every citizen is entitled to ask of his government.?
-Henry Hazlitt in 'Economics in One Lesson'